Sunday, July 06, 2014

Carlos Gimenez raids property taxes for convention center which has its own tax (but that was raided for stadiums). By Geniusofdespair

The Rob Peter to pay Paul Budget Guru - Creator of the Sleight of Hand Budget

You heard of the saying "Rob Peter to pay Paul except in this case PAUL (tourist taxes) can only be used for Convention Centers (which they stretched into meaning stadiums). Peter is our sacred Property Tax money that can be used for anything. Well our property taxes are now being used for the Miami Beach Convention Center because these stadiums bankrupted the Tourist Tax and the convention center STILL needs $580 million.

You have, of course, heard them say over and over that the tourist tax, money they use for STADIUMS, can only be used for that. It is actually money set aside for Convention Centers not stadiums. Well Gimenez is taking our short supply of property tax monies to pay for the Miami Beach convention center in a convoluted deal. And this of course SUCKS. Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald reported this July 4th. It was buried on a holiday and I think it is the most important story of the week:

Jorge Gonzalez, the former Miami Beach city manager, said the agreement highlights the legacy of the 2009 decision by Miami-Dade to spend hotel taxes on Marlins Park. By tying up hotel taxes for the stadium — ballpark debt is slated to take up $9 million in hotel taxes this year — Miami-Dade can’t dedicate tourist-generated dollars for the convention center.“Yes, we’re using hotel taxes for the baseball stadium,’’ said Gonzalez, now manager of Bal Harbour Village. “But we’re using property taxes for the convention center.”

This might turn out to be a good deal for Miami Beach with all the perks that Carlos Gimenez is offering but it is a deadly deal for us. We have been lied too. This deal postpones the inevitable, it is a sleigh of hands. And it left us in debt to the Marlins.

As part of a complicated swap with Miami Beach, Gimenez wants to
delay paying $18 million in property taxes to the resort city this year
and another $14 million in 2016. In exchange, Miami-Dade would add about 20 years to the life of a special taxing district around the Lincoln Road area — which is forecast to cost Miami-Dade about $800 million in diverted property taxes during the extension through 2045.

Read the article and see how you have been lied to about this stupid tax over the years. Barbara Jordan always says, when she approves ever Stadium scam, "it is not our taxes the tourists pay it." They keep saying, it is not our tax money it is tourist money and they approve the deals. Well now it is our tax money. Because they spent the damn convention money on stadiums.

Stadiums are the thorn in the side of every mayor in Miami Dade County because they keep entertaining them. And the stupid commissioners, they agree to everything. What is wrong with just plain NO. Beckham is off to Broward, good riddance. Read the article in the Miami Herald.

20 comments:

Anonymous
said...

It should be clear to all by now that Gimenez is attempting to dismantle County Government all together. Research his acceptance speech-all he did then was talk about his vision for the city, not the County. And, along the path of destruction, he and his friends and family will get rich from taxpayers monies. If we only had a good State Attorney, much of this could be avoided

Doug Hanks article was factual but I think he has to stop short of actually saying "see, it is your money" or the administration would be accuse him of editorializing

However, I've alway been curious about Jordan, given her backstory she is an expert in how the shell game is played yet she panders from the dais the ridiculous mantra "I love spending other people's money"

Look at the Dolphins & Heat deal, now PAMM wants more money too. This is on top of the City of Miami giving away land for a nail clipper which will probably pass the referendum under the guise of helping Libery City, which that trust has it's own sordid history.

In the meantime, Gimenez raided the surplus Library funds which is about to go in to a deficit because of his administration.

So many talk about deficit spending - Gimenez & staff makes Washington blush with the shell games he plays with the taxes at all levels.

In the meantime, they've made it near impossible for communities to incorporate so they can bring government closer, only because there will be less money at county hall for them to misappropriate and not take care of our public facility's like parks & library's.

He needs to go, sooner rather then later. Braman won't be pushing it, he's become part of it in an indirect way with his campaign contributions. The people need to take a stand, wake up and recall this shyster; taking away his pension(s) would also be great!

The only defense county citizens have left is to expose Gimenez for his total disregard for government and his desire to get rich by giving away contracts to his friends and family. Unless the local media picks this story up we will be bankrupt by the time Gimenez is out of office.

Here is Mayor Gimenez stating at the September 2013 budget hearing that he would not give the museums any more operating funding.

Also, it's curious that the three museums asked for between $1.5-$1.9 million and then the amounts were all rounded up to $2.5 million - according to Ms. Moon, Director of the Budget Office, and then Viscaya was also thrown into the giveaway.

And other little museums on county property like the aviation museum in Kendall has to fight tooth and nail with the county to maintain a rent they can afford. Why do other museums get free rent and bags of money to operate?

I am not interested in art. I am interested in planes. Why can't I designate my portion of museum tax dollars or bond money to go to the museums I enjoy?

I will never be downtown to see pamm or the other museum. I didn't go when pamm was mam on the train line, and I will NOT go when I have to walk blocks to get to it.

Im a miami dade firefighter...been employed by miami dade for 27 years and I am barely getting by one child in college. I havent received a raise in 8 years....in fact, my salary has nearly diminished...but thats ok...when I signed on...it was and always will...."always ready, proud to serve" thank you

Firefighter just getting by? ... don't even start ...27 years and barely getting by??? Either you have other children and are paying the ex-wife child support or you are living way above your means and your child is going to some private school or you didn't contribute to Florida Prepaid. You don't mention your pension of 75% of your pay for the rest of your life after you retire in 25-27 years (for the highest grossing years). You don't mention Paramedics or LT's making 6 figures with only a high school diploma ... if you have been 27 years in the county, you should be doing very very. Most FF I know are CPt & LT and they are pulling in $115,00 to $130,000 per year ... however, because many of them are divorced (which is a self created problem) ... the Ex and kids definitely taken a chunk of their pay. I wish Herald would write a truthful and accurate story of how well off FF are in Miami Dade compared to the rest of us middle class. And you want us to continue raising taxes to fund your raises?